Improvement in submarine excavators



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THOMAS JONES, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SUBMARINE EXCAVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,298, dated July 25, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J oNEs, of Washington city, in the county of Washington and District of Columbia, have invented certain -new and useful Improvements in Submarine Excavators; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this application.

My invention relates to an improved excavator for removing' sand and other bars from river-beds 5 and consists: First, in a plow having peculiar ap pliances for providing for the easy raising thereof by means of air-tight compartments. Second, in devices for operating said plow. Third, in the application of gauge-standards or guards to provide against undue accidental strain upon the plow. Fourth, an indicator for showing the depth at which the plow is rrnining in the sand, as also for exhibiting` the depth of water. Fifth, in the peculiar construction and arrangement of devices for automaticallyliting the plow when the gaugestandards meet insurmountable obstructions.

A represents a deck, resting upon and suitably supported by two boats or buoys, B 5 C, a large, beam-like standard bearing upon its lower end a deep beam, C. Lying horizontally and connecting with front end of this is a brace, C, as may be seen in Fig. 1. D, a massive plow, twenty or thirty feet in length, having mold-boards five or six feet high; E E, standards supporting an upper deck, F; G are tight compartments, in number as many as may be desirable, lying within the space between the two mold-boards of the plow, (see Fig. 3;) H H, bolts and parts supporting the plow and connecting it with the horizontal bar C. I I represent a portion of each mold-board at the lower rear corner, which is detached from the main portion thereof and suspended upon chains J which pass upward and over the windlass K, this windlass being provided with suitable means for operating it, and pawl for retaining it in any desired position. By means of this windlass K those portions of the mold-boards marked I may be raised up inside of the main mold-boards, and thus the plow much reduced in Width in its lower portion, which, in compact beds, might be desirable. Immediately interiorly to these parts I are placed suitable supporting surfaces I for them, on which, by means of antifriction rollers ,'they are raised or lowered by the before-mentioned windlass K. J arechains attached to the upper portions of the parts I, and passing first through rings J, which are attached to the fixed parts of the plow at the rear part thereof, and thence upward, crossing each other below the windlass K, and then over and attaching thereto. By these, on reversing the said windlass, the parts I may be drawn down again if they would not fall of their own weight. L are guide-rollers to post C, supported upon springs L, which, yielding laterally, allow side movement to the plow in case it meets a more serious impediment on one side than on the other. M is a windlass whose use is to raise and lower the plow y that it may run at theproper depth 5 N, chains attached to the rear of the plow, as represented in Fig. 3 of drawing, and, passing over grooved pulleys in standards E, extend forward and wind around the drum of windlass M, while l extends from the front end of plow-beam Cupward around windlass M. Turning windlass M now, either by hand-crank m or bythe steam piston-crank m, will raise or lower the plow bodily and thus regulate the depth it shall run. O, a draft-chain running from the bea-1n C frontward and over the roller O and up and around the roller O2 upon the forward part of the deck. This latter roller winds up or lets out the draft-chain, a pawl keeping it in position. In .front of windlass M are windlasses P and P. To the upper one, P, is attached a chain, R, which, descending below the deck and under aroller or pulley, P, passes frontward and attaches to the rear end of an airtight cylinder, Q, from the front of which another chain, R', leads forward and around the roller O1, then back under roller P, and then up above the deck to windlass or pulley P. The object of these windlass-chains and rollers or pulleys is to change the position of the air-tight cylinder Q upon the draft-chain, said chain running through suitable rings or tubular channel on the top of said cylinder while the object of the cylinder itself is, by its position on the chain, to give the right pitch to the plow. On the forward end of the deck A are arranged suitable supports S, bearing two standards, S and S, and indicator T, as illust-rated in Fig. 4. These standards are to give warning of serious obstructions, sach as would be injurious to the plow. The indicator T is arranged to move up and down in slides, has a truck at its lower end, and has a scale marked upon it that it may indicate the depth of water. To the top of each of these standards S' S" and T is secured a chain, u, with a loop at its disengaged end which is slipped upon one end of a spring-bar, c, secured to the under side of the upper deck. (See Fig. l.) Now, if either of the two standards S' S" meets with serious obstruction, as they hang upon a round bolt in the bearings in supports S, the lower end will be forced back and the upper end forward, drawing the chains u from the spring-bars c. Attached to these standards, and also to the indicator T below the chains u, are chains W, which pass back around roller W' which operates the steam-valve inLsteam-chamber X VConnected also with these standards S' S" and T at the same place are other Vchains y extending to windlass M, as in Fig. 2.

When, therefore, as above, these standards meet any serious obstruction they not only swing back at their lower ends so as to override it, but, by means of chain W and valve-rod W', the steam is let on to work the piston X', which rotates windlass M, thus winding up chains N and N', raising the plow out of harm's way. Furthermore, the chains y are sufficiently straightened by the falling forward of the upper ends of standards S' and S" and indicator T, one or all of them, to move windlass M slightly before the steam shall be brought to bear upon it, as a means of safety to the machinery. By chain Z a provision is made for shutting off steam automatically from piston X' when the plow has been sufficiently raised, A

and the operation is as follows:

Chains W attach to roller or valverod W' by a loop slipping over pins, as in Fig. 2. Now, when the movement forward of the upper ends of the standards S' S" or T, or any one of them, has rotated rod W' so as to let on the steam, as above explained, the chain Z, heretofore slack, has been tightened and the roller W' so far turned as to allow the chains W to slip off their pins W'", and the chain Z, connecting with roller WV and windlass M by its other end, will be wound upon the latter and thus cause roller W to reverse its motion and shut off the steam by closing the valve attached to W', thus stopping the further ascent of the plow. To bring back the standards S'rSi' and T to their normal perpendicular position] I place windlass l and roller 2 as represented in Fig. l, and attach chains 3 to said standards and to said windlass, which, being operated, winds up the chains and draws up the standards into vertical position. A series of holes is formed in these standards at 4, as a means of allowing them to descend more or less below the deck, as may be required. Springs 5, on the lower ends of these standards, and a heavy spring-bumper, 6, descending from deck A a little to the rear, operate to prevent undue jar of the boats, when an obstruction throws back suddenly the lower end of any one of the standards. A scale of feet is marked upon the standard G of the plow, so it may at all times be seen how deep it is running. The opening through the deck above the plow corresponds to the outlines thereof, so, when the latter is raised, the deck will afford proper standin for workmen in repairing it.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The plow D, constructed as described-that nis, of double mold-'board form', having airtightVVT chambers G arranged between them, for the purposes described.

2. The movable portions I of the mold-board, in

combination with the mainportions thereof and the rear planking I', as and for the purposes specified.

3. The chains J and J', rings J", and windlass K, arranged to operate slides I, as set forth.

4. Chains N and N' and windlass M, arranged to raise and lower the plow, as and for the purposes set forth.

5. Rollers L and springs L', in combination with standard G, as and for the purposes specified.

(5. Draft-chain O, roller O', and windlass O", combined with the plow and the deck A, for the purposes described.

7. The airtight cylinder Q, when arranged upon the draft-chain O and having united with it the chains It and It', as and for the purposes set forth.

S. The standards S' S" and T, all arranged and operating as for the purposes specified.

9. The windlass M, chains N and N', chains y, chain Z, chains W, valve-rod W', and steamchest X with its piston x', all arranged to operate, in combination with thestandard S' S" and T, to raise the plow automatically, as herein set orth.

l0. The windlass l, roller 2, and chains 3, in combination with standards S' S" and T v,for restoring said standards to vertical position, as described.

1l. The springs 5 on lower ends of the above standards, and the heavy bumper-spring 6 on the under side of the deck, as illustrated in Fig. l, for the purposes described.

Witness my hand this 15th day of February, A. I). 1871.

Witnesses: THOMAS JONES.

WM. C. MCINTIRE, H. S. MILLER. 

